Many fruits and vegetables are high in flavonoids, as are certain plant-derived products believed to have a variety of health benefits, such as wine, chocolate, coffee and tea. Flavonols are the most commonly consumed subclass of flavonoids, though all six of the subclasses can be found in specific plant foods, with varying degrees of potential benefit.

In both diabetes prevention and management, flavonoids appear to be very beneficial. Different classes of flavonoids have been connected to limiting the impacts of diabetic complications such as neuropathy and retinopathy, while other studies have shown promise in using flavonoid supplements (or possibly industrial pharmaceuticals) to help manage diabetes. In regards to diabetes prevention, flavonoids, especially anthocyanins and flavones, have been connected to inhibiting insulin resistance, therefore decreasing diabetes risk.

Foods particularly high in flavonoids (and also recommended for overall health) include, but are certainly not limited to:

Berries(especially red, purple and blue colored berries, which are rich in anthocyanins and flavonols),

Unsweetened dark chocolate(flavan-3-ols),

Red wine(also a good source of anthocyanins and flavan-3-ols),

Tea(green, white and black all providing different subclasses of flavonoids in varying quantity)

While focusing on specific foods or supplements that have high concentrations of certain flavonoids may be a good and conscious decision in chronic disease prevention and management, it is not a necessity to take this reductionist approach. Eating a balanced and healthful diet of varied fresh whole plant foods will undoubtedly introduce a wide range of flavonoids into the body.

Diverse diets of whole foods is what humans are meant to consume; it is how we naturally get all the nutrients that we need to function optimally. The healthful impacts of flavonoids and the wide-range of whole food plant sources that they come from, further reinforces this reality.

Knowledge is power, and action taken from that knowledge produces results. We invite you to explore our site and arm yourself with the important knowledge and support you need to prevent diabetes, manage the disease, and better understand the connection diabetes has to the health of our planet.